- Crime News
Americans arrested over Bangkok kidnap attempt released on bail
Edited on June 10 Thai police arrested an alleged former US Marines*, along with an American and 2 Thai men, including a senior police officer, for allegedly kidnapping a foreign businessman at a Bangkok restaurant in Thong Lor and then demanding a US$3 million ransom. The men allegedly abducted 60 year old Wen Yu Chung, from Taiwan, over a failed…
- Thailand News
Some inmates to be released on parole following Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons
With thousands of inmates infected with Covid-19 at several Thailand prisons, the Department of Corrections is now tackling its longstanding problem at prisons… overcrowding. There’s now talk within the department of possibly granting some prisoners parole, or at least reducing their sentences as a short-term measure to reduce the overcrowding. Others in court detention, while awaiting trial, might be released…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 2,636 new cases, provincial totals
2,636 new Covid-19 cases, including 671 in prisons, were reported today in the CCSA’s daily briefing. Another 25 coronavirus-related deaths were logged today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 703. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 119,585 Covid-19 infections. Thailand now has 49,210 active Covid-19 cases. Bangkok remains the…
- Pattaya News
UPDATE: Officers shot during gunfire exchange at luxury home in Chon Buri
2 police officers were shot and severely wounded in a gunfire exchange while executing a search warrant at a luxury home in Chon Buri’s Huayyai, just outside Pattaya. A gardener was mowing the lawn when a team of police arrived at the home. As soon as they knocked on the front door, a man inside fired shots from an upper…
- Thailand News
Royal Thai Police to investigate 29 officers for suspected ties to labour trafficking
At least 29 police officers are being investigated for suspected involvement in labour trafficking. The Royal Thai Police Headquarters has appointed a committee to investigate the officers, a source told Nation Thailand. The national police deputy chief will oversee the investigation. Border patrol has reportedly been heightened over the past year due concerns that migrants who are entering Thailand illegally,…
- Thailand News
Nok Air submits business rehabilitation plan, now up for creditor approval
Nok Air handed in its business rehabilitation plan after extending the deadline twice. The airline’s creditors will meet to discuss the plan and decide whether to approve the plan. It would then need to be approved by Thailand’s Central Bankruptcy Court. Nok Air is the second national carrier to file a rehabilitation petition with the Central Bankruptcy Court over the past…
- Crime News
Men arrested on drug charges after police chase in Phuket
2 men were arrested on drug charges after a 20 kilometre police chase in Phuket yesterday. The pursuit ended when the men crashed their motorbike into a parked car. Officers searched the motorbike and found 3 bags of kratom in the boot. An officer says he first approached the men because they were acting suspicious. The men sped off, prompting…
- Thailand News
Thai company interested in Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine for animals
Thailand might soon start importing the Russian-made Covid-19 vaccine for animals, according to the Russian news agency TASS. Representatives from a top pharmaceutical manufacturer in Thailand held a video conference with the Russian Federal Service of Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision, known as Rosselkhoznadzor, to discuss the Carnivac-Cov Covid-19 vaccine for animals. Tests show that the Carnivac-Cov vaccine is effective at generating…
- Crime News
Thai authorities announce cargo ship’s route before drug bust in Australia | VIDEO
Thai authorities investigating the drug bust in Australia, where more than 300 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized from a Thai cargo ship, say they’ve narrowed down the route of the shipment and have identified a company involved. Cargo had first been loaded onto a Chinese vessel which left Chon Buri’s Laem Chabang port on March 25, according to Thailand’s Office…
- Covid-19 News
Restroom turnstile linked to hundreds of Covid infections at Pathum Thani market
The turnstile at a public restroom is said to be linked to hundreds of Covid-19 infections at a Pathum Thani produce market, just north of Bangkok. Health officials tested 10,480 vendors and workers at the Simmummuang fruit and vegetable market and say 867 tested positive with many believed to have contracted the virus by inserting coins in the slot and…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 3,394 new infections, provincial totals
3,394 new Covid-19 cases and 29 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing, raising the culumative count since the start of the pandemic last year to 116,948 confirmed infections and the death toll to 678. Out of the 3,394 new cases, 1,498 were detected in prisons. Thousands of inmates in at least 12…
- Thailand News
Thai company offers travel packages to the US with Covid-19 vaccine included
With the recent wave of Covid-19 hitting record highs and increasing the demand for vaccines, some Thais are looking to get inoculated overseas. There are now tour packages which include a Covid-19 vaccination. The company Unithai Trip is now advertising trips from Thailand to the United States that include a Covid-19 vaccine. Starting at $2,300 USD, travellers can go on…
- Bangkok News
Closure order in Bangkok set until May 31, restaurants can now offer dine-in services
To control the spread of Covid-19 in Bangkok, where more than 28,000 people have tested positive for the virus in the latest wave of infections, the closure order in the capital has been extended a second time, now set to be in place until May 31. While many entertainment and recreation businesses and venues are ordered to remain closed, some…
- Phuket News
Phuket sets quarantine requirement for those entering the province, some exempt
A 14-day period in quarantine is required for those entering Phuket who are either not vaccinated against the coronavirus or have not been tested for Covid-19 within 72 hours of arrival. Phuket Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong made the announcement yesterday, adding they will no longer require Covid-19 tests on arrival. Phuket News notes that the required tests were problematic, particularly…
- Pattaya News
20 people arrested at Pattaya restaurant for allegedly violating alcohol ban
Police in Pattaya arrested 20 people last night at a local restaurant where alcohol was reportedly being sold. While Chon Buri recently eased disease control restrictions, now allowing restaurants in the province to offer dine-in services again, alcohol sales and consumption at restaurants are still prohibited. Saewana restaurant was raided at around 11pm last night by officers from Pattaya and…
- Covid-19 News
Active Covid-19 clusters reported in 16 Bangkok districts
Bangkok residents living in any of the 16 districts in the capital with active Covid-19 clusters are being advised to strictly follow disease control measures. Spokesperson Taweesilp Visanuyothin made the warning during today’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration briefing. In the latest wave of Covid-19 infections, more than 28,000 cases have been reported in Bangkok. Taweeslip says there have been…
- Crime News
Man arrested for allegedly exchanging fake US bills for 1.2 million baht
A man was arrested in Bangkok for allegedly exchanging counterfeit foreign bank notes at a currency exchange kiosk, taking off with 1.2 million baht. Police say Thanat Amatawimut, a 42 year old building contractor, exchanged 360 fake $100 USD bills for 1.2 million baht at a kiosk in Bangkok back in 2019. The staff accepted the cash, but later realised…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 2,473 new infections and 35 deaths, provincial totals
2,473 new Covid-19 cases and 35 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. The majority of the new cases are local transmissions, primarily in Bangkok. 680 of the new cases were detected in prisons. Thailand now has 42,988 active Covid-19 cases, a record high for the country. Out of those cases, more than…
- Thailand News
Koh Samet reopens after being closed for 3 weeks due to Covid-19
Koh Samet off the coast of Rayong has reopened to visitors after being closed for 3 weeks. The Gulf of Thailand island is safe to visit and disease control measures are being enforced, according to the Koh Samet tourism association chairperson told the Bangkok Post. On April 27, the Rayong governor ordered for Koh Samet to be closed to visitors…
- Covid-19 News
Sinovac and AstraZeneca: The 2 primary Covid-19 vaccines in Thailand
Since Thailand started its mass Covid-19 immunisation campaign in late February, the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine and the AstraZeneca vaccine, made in partnership with the UK’s Oxford University, have been used to vaccinate residents in Thailand. The local firm Siam Bioscience is now producing the AstraZeneca vaccine and the first Thai-made batch is expected to be rolled out next month. Type…
- Thailand News
British tourists come forward about being attacked on Koh Tao in 2013
Many continue to contend that Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, the 2 Burmese young men convicted for the 2014 murder of 2 tourists on Koh Tao’s Sairee Beach, are innocent. Now 2 tourists who were attacked on the same beach, just a year before the murder, are now coming forward to help prove that the conviction could have been unreliable.…
- Phuket News
Fishermen find space debris off the coast of Phuket
Local fishermen found space debris, possibly from a satellite or space shuttle, on the seabed just 6 metres below the surface by Koh Ael in Phuket. At first, no one knew exactly what it was. Specialists from a Navy explosive ordinance disposal unit were first called to look at the round, hollow metal object which was about 45 centimetres in…
- Thailand News
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announces 20 year plan to take action against corruption
Action against corruption in Thailand is now a “national agenda” and a 20-year plan, backed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, is set to be rolled out to promote transparency in the Thai government, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced today. On a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being “highly corrupt” and 100 being “very clean,” Thailand’s score is 36, according…
- Thailand News
Covid UPDATE: 9,635 new infections, provincial totals
Thailand reported a record high of 9,635 new Covid-19 infections. There are now 43,268 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun said at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Out of the new cases reported today, 6,853 were detected at prisons in Thailand. “Of course this is a new high that we have never…
- Phuket News
Phuket police search for foreigners who were seen drinking beer at a restaurant
Phuket officials are serious about disease control orders banning parties and gatherings with friends, especially when alcohol is involved. They’re so serious, that apparently they’re searching for 4 foreigners who were seen drinking beers at a restuarant in Rawai. Police raided the restaurant yesterday at a complaint from a woman who works for the local district office. She was out…
- Covid-19 News
Fourth prison Covid-19 outbreak: 1,725 inmates infected at Thonburi prison
Thailand’s Department of Corrections is now tackling Covid-19 outbreaks at 4 prisons. Over the weekend, more than 1,700 Covid-19 infections were detected at the Thonburi Remand Prison, adding to the more than 3,000 infections at the Klong Prem Central Prison, Bangkok Remand Prison and Central Women’s Correctional Institution. Prior to the recent prison Covid-19 clusters, hundreds of inmates at prisons…
- Covid-19 News
Family sues Thai PM, CCSA after Covid-infected relative dies
The family of a man who died while infected with Covid-19 is demanding the Thai PM, as well as other government officials, pay millions of baht in compensation, citing “negligence” after calls to Covid-19 hotlines went unanswered or were not of help. 35 year old Kunlasub Watthanaphon died on April 23. Kunlasub is said to have contracted the virus from a…
- Thailand News
Is Thailand the best country for digital nomads?
Is Thailand the best country in the world for digital nomads? Some think so. The French travel and tourism operator Club Med recently did a study and found that Thailand tops the list of best countries for digital nomads with Phuket as the number one ‘city’ to live in while working remotely. (We acknowledge that Phuket can hardly be regarded…
- Crime News
Krabi police search for 3 murder suspects after body and car found buried at plantation
Police in Krabi are searching for 3 brothers suspected of shooting a man before dousing his body in acid and setting him on fire. The body of 54 year old Suchart Khaoluan was found buried in a rubber plantation after he was reported missing for 2 weeks. Suchart had been missing since May 3. One of the suspects, 32 year…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA to discuss Covid-19 zoning tomorrow, restrictions likely to loosen in some provinces
Thailand’s colour-coded zoning for Covid-19 control will be discussed tomorrow by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Some restrictions are likely to be lifted in some provinces, such as the ban on dine-in services at restaurants in “dark red” zones. The colour scale goes from green to dark red, with green provinces reporting no recent Covid-19 infections. Under the current…
